Five excuses my co-wokers use to avoid working out (and why they suck)

Working out is not always easy. That might be why working out starts with the word work. Work is defined as exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something. To achieve the goal of getting in shape or staying in shape requires some work.

For whatever reason, human nature is to make excuses avoiding most work. Thus many of us will justify not working out due to one of any number of reasons. I will admit to being guilty of this also.

When I talk to co-workers and friends about working out, I seem to hear the same excuses over and over. Here I present you with the top five reasons I hear most often and why they suck

5 – I work night shift, and the gym is only open when I am sleeping

For many career firefighters who have a 24-hour shift, this one might not apply.

This is for the police officers, EMS workers and even the non-career firefighters who might work a night shift job. I did a non-scientific poll of some friends and found most get off work from the night shift at 6 am, 7 am or 8 am. Conducting a second non-scientific poll, I checked out the hours on the doors at many local gyms. Most opened at 5 am, or 6 am. As long as I was there, I also checked the closing time, 9 pm to as late as 11 pm.

Meaning most gyms are open by the time you are off work. Also, they would still be open when you wake up.

Also, there are many gyms that now have 24-hour access so no matter what shift you work the gym is always open.

Finally, who says you need a gym? More on this topic later…

4 – I can’t afford a gym membership

When I was doing my informal scientific research on gym hours, I also checked out the costs. There were many locations that were only $10 per month. Other gyms were a tad more in the $20-$40 a month range. To be honest, many gyms started memberships as low as $10, but the cost went up as extra perks got added on.

The cost difference seemed to come from what you wanted in a gym. Personal training, tanning booth access and group classes (spinning, yoga, Zumba) make the rates go up.
Looking at the people who told me they don’t have money for the gym I notice they do have money for daily trips to Starbucks and meals at fast food. I bet they drop between $100 and $200 a month on empty calories. A small budget adjustment will help in more than one way.

3- I don’t have the equipment at home / can’t afford to buy all that stuff

Who says you need thousands of dollars of expensive equipment to work out?

There are people in prison working out with zero access to a weight room. Likewise, folks living in third world countries workout without high-tech machines.

You can do a lot with just your body weight. Push ups, air squats, planks, wall sits, handstands and much more can all be done without any equipment.

For people who need to have equipment start small and add to your collection. Two kettlebells of different weight can open up a doorway to many workouts. Add more kettlebells of different weight as proficiency goes up. Medicine balls, TRX straps, resistance bands and other low-cost items can be added, as variety is needed.

2 – I am afraid the pager will go off while working out and I will be too exhausted to respond

This is more for the Fire/EMS folks. But I do know some Police departments that allow officers to work out on duty a limited number of times per week.

As for being too exhausted. Some people believe in working out to the point of failure, pure utter exhaustion. Personally, I am not a big fan of going to failure. There are benefits to hitting that point but not for every workout.

You can work yourself hard and still keep an energy level capable of responding to situations. Remember also whenever that pager goes off or the tones drop for a call there will be an adrenaline dump. Yes, even you salty old guys get some adrenaline hitting the system.

That little dump of energy should give you what you need to work a call. Also the time it takes to get to the call is rest time for your muscles. Thus many people can, if policy allows, workout on duty time without fear of poor performance on a call.

1- I just don’t have time

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me this I bet I could buy lunch a nice restaurant.

There are 168 hours in a week. Assuming you work 40 hours that leaves 128. Assuming you get a good 40 hours of sleep (yeah right I know) that leaves 88 hours a week. We can shave off a few hours due to overtime, court time and other extra work hours. But most people have 60 hours free time each week.

What are you doing with that free time? Yes, I know there are family events, kids sports, and other personal obligations. Honestly how much time do you spend on these other activities? How much time do you watch TV? What about scrolling endlessly on Facebook or playing games online?

I love Netflix just as much as the next person. There comes a time when you have to turn off the TV and get your butt off the couch. Go for a walk, do some body weight movements, go to the gym, do anything but veg out on television.